Methods of self-diagnosing software for driving processing apparatus

ABSTRACT

According to the present invention, as processing apparatus drive starts, the operating state of software used to drive the processing apparatus is monitored in real time to diagnose whether or not an abnormality has occurred (S 110 ). If it is judged through the diagnosis performed in S 110  that no abnormality has occurred, the workpiece processing is allowed to continue uninterrupted and then a decision is made as to whether or not the workpiece processing has been completed (S 130 ). If the processing has been completed, the processing apparatus is stopped (S 140 ). If, on the other hand, it is judged through the diagnosis performed in S 110  that an abnormality has occurred, a log of the diagnosis item with regard to which the abnormality has occurred is recorded (S 120 ). The processing apparatus is then stopped (S 140 ).

TECHNICAL FIELD

The present invention relates to a processing apparatus that executesprocessing such as etching and film formation on a workpiece which maybe a semiconductor wafer or a liquid crystal display substrate and, morespecifically, it relates to a method of self-diagnosing software used todrive the processing apparatus, a method of maintaining the processingapparatus, a method of automatically inspecting the processing apparatusand a method of automatically resetting the processing apparatus.

BACKGROUND ART

Semiconductor devices are processed through various steps such asetching, film formation, ashing and sputtering, and these steps areexecuted by employing various types of semiconductor processingapparatuses. In this type of semiconductor processing application, aso-called cluster multi-chamber processing apparatus is widely utilizedin the related art so that a plurality of types of processing can beexecuted in single apparatus. Such a processing apparatus having aplurality of vacuum processing chambers connected to a common transferchamber so as to allow a substrate being processed, i.e., asemiconductor wafer, to be carried into/out of a loading/unloadingchamber connected to the transfer chamber via an auxiliary vacuumchamber achieving a load lock function is ideal for achieving higherintegration in the semiconductor device and a higher throughput andeffectively prevents contamination of the workpiece.

If a failure occurs in this type of processing apparatus (hereafter itmay also be referred to simply as a processing apparatus) capable ofperforming various types of processing, the processing apparatus must bestopped over an extended period of time for repairs, which results in alower throughput. In order to improve the yield of semiconductors beingprocessed and sustain a specific level of throughput by preventingfailures of the processing apparatus, it is essential to perform propermaintenance of the parts constituting the processing apparatus. In therelated art, various operations of the processing apparatus, whichconstitute the items to be checked for maintenance, are tested andprocessing apparatus inspection data are collected in conformance to aprogram prepared in advance.

However; whenever the contents of a processing apparatus operation testor details regarding the acquisition of the processing apparatusinspection data change, then the program needs to be modified or eitherthe test or the acquisition of the inspection data on the relevant itemneeds to be conducted through a manual operation. Such a process isbound to be extremely complicated and time-consuming with a significantnumber of procedural steps to be followed. While Japanese PatentLaid-Open Publication No. 4-364752 discloses a semiconductor substrateprocessing system which allows the order in which semiconductor wafersare transferred to be set freely, it is desirable to allow processingapparatus operations other than the semiconductor wafer transfer to beset freely as well.

A first object of the present invention, which has been completed byaddressing the problems discussed above, is to provide a method ofmaintaining a processing apparatus capable of executing processingapparatus operations in any combination.

In addition, since the processing apparatus described above is normallyoperated under critical conditions and the yield of finished productscan be readily lowered by a slight abnormality or a minor incidence ofcontamination, it must be inspected and maintained on a regular basis.The regular inspection and maintenance work is implemented, forinstance, once a day on a semiconductor wafer processing apparatus and,and accordingly, it is desirable to automate the regular inspectionprocess and in order to carry out the processes with higher reliabilityand higher efficiency.

The inspection items to be checked during an inspection include thosethat cannot be checked while the processing apparatus is engaged inoperation and thus, need to be checked by stopping the processingapparatus. Accordingly, each time inspection/maintenance work isimplemented, the operator needs to verify the operating state of theprocessing apparatus, and if the processing apparatus is currentlyengaged in operation, the operator must wait for the processingapparatus to enter a stopped state or, if necessary, forcibly stop theprocessing apparatus. In addition, the inspection items also includethose that can be checked only by first processing a dummy wafer or thelike and then collecting the dummy wafer for measurement, such asparticle measurement and film thickness measurement. For these reasons,it is difficult to conduct regular inspection and reset the processingapparatus after the maintenance work completely automatically, and theoperator must verify the operating state of the processing apparatuseach time inspection or maintenance is to be conducted and perform workmanually.

In addition, as increasingly larger wafer and glass substrates areprocessed, the processing apparatus itself has become larger in recentyears, necessitating a greater number of operators to manually performthe inspection and maintenance work and a greater number of works stepsto be taken in such manual inspection and maintenance. Since this posesa greater risk of contamination of the clean space, automation of theinspection and maintenance processes has become an even more criticaltechnological objective to be fulfilled.

A second object of the present invention, which has been completed byaddressing the problems discussed above, is to provide a new andimproved method of automatically inspecting a processing apparatus and anew and improved method of automatically resetting the processingapparatus, through which the operating efficiency of the processingapparatus is improved by automatically inspecting the processingapparatus and automatically resetting the processing apparatus after themaintenance work.

Furthermore, the processing apparatus described above is normally drivenby software. However, the operating state of the software driving theprocessing apparatus is not monitored in the related art. As a result,the processing apparatus is allowed to continue operating until a fatalabnormality occurs in the processing apparatus. Once a failure occurs inthis type of apparatus the processing apparatus must be stopped over anextended period of time for repairs to result in lowered throughput.Moreover, the occurrence of an abnormality in the processing apparatusgives rise to another problem in that such an abnormality may result indamaged wafer product.

A third object of the present invention, which has been completed byaddressing the problems discussed above, is to provide a method ofself-diagnosing software used to drive a processing apparatus, thatmakes it possible to avert the occurrence of an abnormality in theprocessing apparatus and prevent damage to the workpiece.

DISCLOSURE OF THE INVENTION

In order to achieve the objects described above, a first aspect of thepresent invention provides a method of maintaining a processingapparatus comprising a registration step in which unit operationscorresponding to individual parts of the processing apparatus undergoingmaintenance are registered in advance, a macro writing step in which amaintenance macro for executing the unit operations in units of theindividual operations and/or in combination of unit operations through asequence operation and/or a parallel operation is described and a macroexecution step in which maintenance is performed by executing themaintenance macro described in the macro writing step. The method, whichonly requires simple editing of the existing macro file to reflect anychange in the contents of the operation test or the contents of the datato be obtained, eliminates the necessity for preparing a new programfrom scratch or the necessity of a manual operation.

In addition, the processing apparatus can be evaluated by executing anevaluation step in which the sequence operation and/or the paralleloperation executed in the macro execution step is evaluated. It isdesirable that the unit operations include inspection of the partundergoing the maintenance and that the unit operations also include aninitialization of the part undergoing maintenance.

Furthermore, during the macro writing step, a target the monitoringoperation macro writing step in which a macro for monitoring whether ornot the unit operations of each part undergoing the maintenance haveachieved control values is described may be executed, to ensure that theprocess does not shift to the next operation until a predetermined valueis achieved in an operation. In addition, during the macro writing step,a loop macro writing step in which a macro for repeatedly executing aunit operation of the part undergoing the maintenance is described maybe executed so as to repeat a specified operation, and in such a case,an endurance test or the like is enabled.

In order to achieve the objects described above, a second aspect of thepresent invention provides a method of automatically inspecting aprocessing apparatus that processes a workpiece, comprising aregistration step in which at least inspection items to be checked in aninspection process and a time point for the inspection process areregistered in advance, a verification step in which the operating stateof the processing apparatus is verified when the registered inspectiontime point arrives, an inspection step in which the inspection isautomatically executed to check the registered inspection itemsimmediately if it is decided in the verification step that theprocessing apparatus is not engaged in operation or after the operationof the processing apparatus ends if it is decided in the verificationstep that the processing apparatus is engaged in operation and adecision-making step in which a decision is made as to whether or notthe inspection process has been completed.

It is desirable that the processing apparatus include as a componentthereof an inline inspection device and that some of the inspectionitems are checked through an in-line inspection. In addition, it isdesirable that during the inspection step, an abnormality detectionresponse step in which, upon detecting an abnormality, the maintenancepersonnel is notified of the details of the abnormality and theinspection is interrupted is executed. It is also desirable that theinspection items include at least one of; a target vacuum inspection, aleak inspection, a flow rate inspection, a discharge of inspection, ahigh-frequency power supply system inspection, a plasma light emissioninspection, a particle inspection, an etching characteristicsinspection, a test transfer and a test wafer processing inspection.Moreover, it is desirable to detect an abnormality during the inspectionprocess and/or to make a decision as to whether or not the inspectionhas been completed through a multivariate analysis.

In order to achieve the objects described above, a third aspect of thepresent invention provides a method of automatically resetting aprocessing apparatus that processes a workpiece, comprising aregistration step in which inspection items including, at least, aninspection item to be checked through an in-line inspection when theprocessing apparatus is reset to a normal operating mode from amaintenance mode and procedures to be taken to check the inspectionitems are registered in advance and an automatic resetting step in whichthe registered inspection items are automatically checked in conformanceto the registered inspection procedures when resetting the processingapparatus from the maintenance mode.

It is desirable that during the automatic resetting step, an abnormalitydetection response step, in which, upon detecting an abnormality, themaintenance personnel is notified of the details of the abnormality andthe inspection is interrupted, be executed. It is also desirable thatthe inspection items include at least one of; a target vacuuminspection, a leak inspection, a flow rate inspection, a dischargeinspection, a high-frequency power supply system inspection, a plasmalight emission inspection, a particle inspection, an etchingcharacteristics inspection, a test transfer and a test wafer processinginspection. Moreover, it is desirable to detect an abnormality duringthe inspection process and/or to make a decision as to whether or notthe inspection has been completed through a multivariate analysis.

In order to achieve the objects described above, a fourth aspect of thepresent invention provides a method of self-diagnosing software used todrive a processing apparatus, comprising a monitoring step in whichpredetermined diagnostic items are checked to monitor in real time theoperating state of the software used to drive the processing apparatusand a down processing step in which the processing apparatus is stoppedif an abnormality is detected in the software during the monitoring stepafter recording a log of the diagnostic item with regard to which theabnormality has occurred. By adopting this method, which allows anappropriate action to be taken upon detecting a software abnormality,damage to the processing apparatus or the workpiece, i.e., the product,can be averted. In addition, the recorded log makes it possible to takeappropriate action by ascertaining the exact location where theabnormality has occurred and the exact cause of the abnormality.

It is desirable that the diagnostic items include at least one of; thememory state, the CPU load state, the queue state, the number of openfiles, the network communication load, the stack state and the resourcestate. The memory state may be ascertained by, for instance, checkingthe available memory capacity to determine whether or not the availablememory is insufficient and the CPU load state may be ascertained by, forinstance, detecting whether or not the CPU has sufficient capability forthe overall system.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWING

FIG. 1 is a schematic plan view of the semiconductor processingapparatus achieved in a first embodiment of the present invention;

FIG. 2 is a schematic side elevation of the semiconductor processingapparatus shown in FIG. 1;

FIG. 3 presents a flowchart of the maintenance method achieved in thefirst embodiment of the present invention;

FIG. 4 presents an example of a macro editor screen that may be used inthe first embodiment of the present invention;

FIG. 5 illustrates states of arm movement observed in the firstembodiment of the present invention;

FIG. 6 is a sectional view taken along the horizontal direction,schematically illustrating the structure of a processing apparatus inwhich the automatic inspection method and the automatic resetting methodachieved in a second embodiment of the present invention may be adopted;

FIG. 7 is a sectional view taken along the vertical direction,schematically illustrating the structure of a processing apparatus inwhich the automatic inspection method and the automatic resetting methodachieved in the second embodiment of the present invention may beadopted;

FIG. 8 presents a flowchart of the procedure of the automatic inspectionmethod of achieved in the second embodiment of the present invention;

FIG. 9 presents a flowchart of the procedure of the automatic resettingmethod in the second embodiment of the present invention;

FIG. 10 is a schematic plan view of the semiconductor processingapparatus achieved in a third embodiment of the present intention;

FIG. 11 is a schematic side elevation of the semiconductor processingapparatus shown and FIG. 10; and

FIG. 12 presents a flowchart of the procedure of the method ofself-diagnosing the software used to drive the processing apparatusachieved in the third embodiment of the present invention.

BEST MODE FOR CARRYING OUT THE INVENTION

The following is a detailed explanation of the embodiments of thepresent invention, given in reference to the drawings. It is to be notedthat the same reference numerals are assigned to components achievingsubstantially identical functions in the following explanation and theattached drawings to preclude the necessity for a repeated explanationthereof.

(First Embodiment)

First, in reference to FIGS. 1 and 2, the structure adopted in theprocessing apparatus achieved in the first embodiment of the presentinvention is briefly explained. FIGS. 1 and 2 respectively are aschematic plan view and a schematic side elevation of a processingapparatus that etches a workpiece, i.e., a semiconductor wafer. Thisprocessing apparatus includes a vacuum processing chamber 200 where asemiconductor wafer W is etched and a load lock chamber 203 provided asa auxiliary vacuum chamber. The load lock chamber 203 is detachablymounted at a side surface of a transfer chamber 205 constituted as arectangular common transfer passage.

At another side surface of the transfer chamber 205, a plurality ofwafer cassettes 206 are provided as housing means at each of which tensof wafers W are set over a predetermined interval, with a pre-alignmentstage 207 provided at one end of the transfer chamber 205. Namely, atthe front of the transfer chamber 205, a cassette stage providing loadports for the plurality of wafer cassettes 206 placed thereupon is set.Inside each wafer cassette 206, which includes a lid and can be sealedtightly, a large stack of wafers is supported over numerous levels.

An arm 208, which carries a wafer W into/out of a wafer cassette 206 isprovided at the transfer chamber 205 so as to be allowed to move freelyalong the length of the transfer chamber 205. A single wafer W is takenout of a wafer cassette 206 by the arm 208, the wafer W is carried ontothe pre-alignment stage 207 and is pre-aligned. The wafer W is then heldfirmly and carried into the load lock chamber 203 and is finallytransferred into the vacuum processing chamber 200.

Inside the vacuum processing chamber 200, the wafer W is etched, andthen the processed wafer W is carried out to the load lock chamber 203where it is transferred to the arm 208. The processed wafer is thenreturned to the wafer cassette 206 by the arm 208.

A vacuum-side gate valve 213 is provided at a portion of the vacuumprocessing chamber 200 where it is linked with the load lock chamber203, whereas an atmosphere-side gate valve 214 is provided where theload lock chamber 203 is linked with the transfer chamber 205.

Next, in reference to FIG. 3, the processing apparatus maintenancemethod achieved in the embodiment is explained. FIG. 3 presents aflowchart of the procedure of the processing apparatus maintenancemethod achieved in an embodiment of the present invention. First, unitoperations corresponding to part of the processing apparatus undergoingthe maintenance work are registered in advance (S210). The unitoperations registered in the step vary for different parts and, forinstance, the open operation alone or the close operation of a gateconstitutes a unit operation. It is desirable that the unit operationsregistered in this step include a part inspection operation and a partinitialization operation.

Next, a maintenance macro file is prepared by combining the unitoperations registered in S210 as appropriate to be executed in asequence operation and/or a parallel operation (S220). In this context,the term “sequence operation” refers to a sequential operation duringwhich the unit operations are sequentially executed whereas the term“parallel operation” refers to a parallel operation in which unitoperations are executed concurrently. It is desirable to prepare a loopmacro for repeating a unit operation for the part as necessary in thisstep. Such a loop macro is effective when it is necessary to conduct anendurance test. In addition, it is desirable to prepare the macro filewhich includes a target monitoring operation macro to be used to monitorwhether or not the control value has been achieved in a part unitoperation.

Next, the maintenance macro file prepared in S220 is executed to conductmaintenance (S230). At this time, a reservation for the execution of aplurality of maintenance macro files may be made as well. In addition,while the execution of a maintenance macro file is in progress, theexecution may be canceled, temporarily halted or resumed.

The processing apparatus data and any related data obtained during themaintenance macro file execution are saved as a file. Based upon thesedata, the sequence operations and/or the parallel operation that hasbeen executed is evaluated (S240).

FIG. 4 presents an example of a macro editor screen that may be usedwhen preparing the macro file in S220. The “LM” under the heading“module” on the screen is an abbreviation of a loader module(loading/unloading chamber). Under the heading “command”, a part that isactually operated is indicated and, in this example, “arm” is indicated.Under the heading “setting 1” the value set for the part indicated inthe heading “command” is indicated. In this example the “LLM standbyposition” refers to the movement of the arm to the side opposite thefront of the load lock chamber whereas the “LP1 standby position” refersto the movement of the arm to the side opposite the front of the firstload port.

In other words, a processing apparatus operation that is a combinationof a unit operation through which the arm moves to the side opposite thefront of the load lock chamber and a unit operation through which thearm moves to the side opposite the front of the first load port isdescribed. The value 10 in the screen indicates the number of timesthese unit operations are executed repeatedly. Accordingly, by executingthis macro, the operations described above are repeated 10 times. FIGS.5(a) and 5(b) respectively illustrate of the states of the arm when ithas moved to the LLM standby position and the LPI standby position. InFIG. 5, the same reference numerals are assigned components identical toor similar to those in FIG. 1 to preclude the necessity for a repeatedexplanation of these components.

The macro thus prepared can be saved as a file by operating a macro savebutton at the bottom of the screen. The macro file thus saved can becalled up as necessary by operating a macro read button. In addition,the macro file which has been called up can be edited as well. Forinstance, a step can be inserted or deleted by operating a step insertbutton or a step delete button to set a desired operation. By utilizingsuch a macro editor, unit operations can be combined freely.Furthermore, when the contents of processing apparatus operation testsor the details regarding the acquisition of processing apparatusinspection data are partially modified, too, an updated macro file canbe created easily by simply calling up the existing macro file andpartially editing it.

As described above, in the embodiment, a macro file having partoperations combined as appropriate is described and a desired processingapparatus operation can be executed in conformance to the macro file. Asa result, the adjustment and inspection process can be automated. Sincean updated macro file can easily be created by calling up the existingmacro file and partially editing it even when the contents of theoperation tests or the details of the data to be obtained are modified,it is not necessary to prepare a new program from scratch or to performa manual operation. In addition, an endurance test or the like can beexecuted by writing a loop macro for repeating a unit operation andexecuting this loop macro.

While an explanation has been given above on an example in which thepresent invention is adopted in the arm operations, the presentinvention is not limited to this example and it is obvious thatmaintenance can be performed for the part by writing a macro file andexecuting the macro file.

As explained in detail above, a macro constituted of part operations inan arbitrary combination is described in advance and by executing thismacro, a desired processing apparatus operation can be executed in theembodiment. Even when the contents of the processing apparatus operationtests or the details of processing apparatus inspection data acquisitionare partially modified, updated macro file can be prepared easily simplyby calling up the macro file and partially editing it, and thus it isnot necessary to prepare a new program from scratch or to perform themanual operation.

(Second Embodiment)

Next, in reference to FIGS. 6˜9, the processing apparatus automaticinspection method and the processing apparatus automatic resettingmethod achieved in the second embodiment of the present invention areexplained in detail.

First, in reference to FIGS. 6 and 7, the structure of a processingapparatus in which the automatic inspection method and the automaticresetting method in the embodiment may be adopted is briefly explained.

A processing apparatus 300 in the figures is a multi-chamber processingapparatus capable of simultaneously executing multiple types ofprocessing, and includes a plurality of processing chambers 302 and 304in which semiconductor wafers, i.e., workpieces (hereafter simplyreferred to as wafers) are etched or the like provided side by side.Load lock chambers 310 and 312, which are auxiliary vacuum chambersrespectively having transfer arms 306 and 308 constituting transfermeans, are each connected at one end thereof to the correspondingprocessing chamber 302 or 304 via a gate valve 314 or 316.

One side surface of a transfer chamber 324 ranging over the longer sideof the transfer chamber 324 constituting a common transfer passage, isconnected to the other ends of the load lock chambers 310 and 312 viagate valves 318 and 320 respectively. The transfer chamber 324 in thefigures, which assumes a substantially rectangular shape, includes atransfer arm 328 constituting a transfer means that can move freelyalong the direction in which its longer side extends. In addition, at aside surface ranging over the short side of the transfer chamber 324, anauxiliary chamber 330 is connected. At the auxiliary chamber 330, anin-line inspection device capable of conducting a wafer particleinspection and a wafer film thickness inspection is provided in additionto a pre-alignment stage used for wafer pre-alignment. It is to be notedthat while the auxiliary chamber 330 is used both as the pre-alignmentchamber and the in-line inspection chamber in the example presented inthe figure, separate chambers may be provided for pre-alignment andin-line inspection, instead.

A particle inspection device realized as the in-line inspection devicemeasures the size of a particle based upon the intensity of light bydetecting the light radiated onto the wafer surface from a laser lightsource and irregularly reflected off the particle. It also performsmeasurement over the entire wafer surface while laser light and thewafer move relative to each other to ascertain the exact position of theparticle on the wafer. It is desirable that the particle inspectiondevice have the performance capability to detect a particle which is a0.2 μm or larger in size and, more desirably, 0.1 μm or larger in sizeeven when a pattern is formed on the wafer or films are formed on thewafer over a plurality of layers. A film thickness inspection device isrealized as the in-line inspection device that measures the thickness ofa film based upon the change observed in the light intensity between thelight from the upper surface and the light from the lower surface of thefilm by irradiating laser light or LED light onto the wafer surface. Thefilm thickness inspection device should be capable of measuring thethickness of the films at the outermost surface among a plurality oflayers of film formed on the wafer at a reproduction accuracy within arange of ±5 Å and more desirably within ±2 Å. Data obtained at such anin-line inspection device can be monitored on the processing apparatusoperation screen and also are stored in memory at the control unit to beutilized as multivariate analysis data for processing apparatus statusevaluation.

A plurality of wafer cassettes, e.g., three wafer cassettes 338, 340 and342, which are set on a cassette stage are connected to the other sidesurface of the transfer chamber 324 ranging over its longer side. Thewafer cassettes 338, 340 and 342 are each capable of housing a pluralityof wafers over predetermined intervals along the vertical direction. Inaddition, a fine coil unit 344 is installed above the transfer chamber324 to supply clean air into the transfer chamber.

The operation of the processing apparatus 300 described above is nowbriefly explained. First, the transfer arm 328 moves inside the transferchamber 324 and takes out a wafer W from the selected loading wafercassette 338. Next, the wafer W is moved to the auxiliary chamber 330where it is pre-aligned, and then it is transferred to the transfer arm306 in the selected load lock chamber 310. The wafer W is placed onto astage 346 inside the processing chamber 302 by the transfer arm 306.Subsequently, after the wafer W undergoes a specific type of processing,e.g., plasma processing, the wafer W is unloaded to the selectedunloading wafer cassette 342 via the load lock chamber 310 and thetransfer chamber 324 in an almost the reverse order, and thus, thesequence of the processing ends.

It is necessary to conduct specific types of inspections and maintenancework after implementing the processing such as that described above overa predetermined length of time or for a predetermined number of lots.The following is a detailed explanation of the method of automaticallyinspecting the processing apparatus and the method of automaticallyresetting the processing apparatus from the maintenance mode achieved inthe embodiment.

The processing apparatus automatic inspection method in the embodimentis first explained. As shown in FIG. 8, inspection items to be checkedwhile inspecting the processing apparatus are registered in advance(S302). The inspection items may be registered by writing an inspectionmacro in advance and assigning various parameters in the macro.

While any inspection items can be set freely for the registration, theitems that may be registered include the following; a virtual volumetriccapacity measurement of the process modules (processing chambers),pressure gauge 0 inspection, pressure gauge zero calibration, a pressuregauge sensitivity/linearity inspection, flowmeter zero point inspection,flowmeter zero point calibration, flowmeter sensitivity/stabilityinspection, flowmeter flow verify, flowmeter self-diagnosis, backcooling gas flow gauge calibration, process module evacuationinspection, load lock module evacuation inspection, process module leakinspection, load lock module leak inspection, discharge inspection,high-frequency power supply system inspection plasma light emissioninspection, particle inspection, film thickness inspection, dummytransfer inspection and test wafer process in inspection.

Among these inspection items, the particle inspection, the filmthickness inspection, the dummy transfer inspection, the test waferprocessing inspection and the like need to be conducted by actuallyoperating the processing apparatus to process a dummy wafer or a testwafer end than inspecting the processed the and the wafer or test waferwith the in-line inspection device or the like. In addition, theparameters for the abnormality decision-making criteria with regard tothe individual inspection items may be input as well. Furthermore, a fewstatistical parameters indicating the processing apparatus status may beascertained by performing a multivariate analysis of the measurementvalues corresponding to all the inspection items or a plurality ofinspection items obtained over time, and based upon these statisticalparameters, an integrated processing apparatus abnormalitydecision-making criterion or an integrated post-maintenance resettingcompletion decision-making criterion may be set. By automating theseoverall decision-making performed by the operating personnel in therelated art, the regular inspection process and the post-maintenanceresetting process can be automated as well.

In addition, an execution trigger maybe set as a parameter registered inan automatic inspection macro. The execution trigger sets the timingwith which the inspection macro is executed, over a specific timeinterval (in units of minutes, hours, days, weeks, months or the like),over an interval corresponding to a specific number of lots or wafers,or over a time interval representing a specific length of dischargetime.

After registering the inspection items in step S302 as described above,the processing apparatus is engaged in normal operation. Then, as thetime point set in advance as the execution trigger for conducting theinspection process arrives (S304), the operating state of the processingapparatus is verified (S306). If it is decided that the processingapparatus is not engaged in operation in this verification step (S306),the inspection process is automatically executed to check the registeredinspection items immediately (S308). However, if it is decided in theverification step (S306) that the processing apparatus is engaged inoperation, the inspection process is automatically executed to check theregistered items after the processing apparatus operation ends, i.e.,after the wafer is unloaded or after the processing of the current lotends. It is to be noted that an inspection item may be skipped byspecifying the item in the inspection macro if it is decided in theverification step (S306) that the processing apparatus is engaged inoperation.

In addition, a time point proceeding lot processing, a time pointfollowing the lot processing or time points proceeding and following thelot processing may be specified as the execution trigger for inspectionitems such as the particle inspection and the film thickness measurementthat necessitate the use of the in-line inspection device and inspectionitems such as the dummy transfer conducted to inspect the transfersystem that require a significant length of time to complete, so as toensure that these inspections are executed before or after theprocessing of the lot and that the inspections of items not requiringmuch time to check can be mainly executed during the lot processing.

During the inspection step (S308), if no abnormality is detected throughthe decision made based upon the abnormality decision-making criterionset for a given inspection item (S310), other inspection items arechecked in sequence in a similar manner. Ultimately, integratedinspection results are obtained based upon processing apparatusabnormality decision-making criteria for a few statistical parametersascertained through a multivariate analysis of the measurement valuescorresponding to all the inspection items or a plurality of inspectionitems obtained over time, and if the integrated inspection resultsindicate that the processing apparatus does not manifest anyabnormality, it is decided that the inspections have been completed andthe sequence of the inspection process ends (S312). If, on the otherhand, an abnormality is detected during the inspection step (S308), theoperating personnel or the like is notified of the details of thedetected abnormality (S314) and the inspection process is interrupted ifnecessary (S316) to await an instruction from the operating personnel.However, the inspection process may continue uninterrupted as long asthe detected abnormality is very slight.

It is to be noted that while any of various decision-making methods maybe adopted during the inspection step (S308) and, more specifically, forthe final abnormality detection achieved through the integrated decisionmade on the processing apparatus status, a more reliable abnormalitydetection can be achieved through multivariate analysis such as aprincipal component analysis. In a principal component analysis, asingle set or a few sets of statistical data indicating the overallcharacteristics manifesting in numerous types of inspection data, whichare referred to as the principal components, are used to enable anaccurate evaluation of the processing apparatus status simply bychecking the values of the principal components. In more specific terms,the inspection data corresponding to all the inspection items areobtained a plurality of times in advance by setting the processingapparatus in a normal state and a principal component analysis isperformed on the plurality of sets of inspection data thus obtained todetermine individual values used to determine, for instance, a firstprincipal component. Then, inspection data corresponding to all theinspection items which are obtained in an actual inspection process areincorporated in the formula for determining the first principalcomponent to ascertain the value of the first principal componentrepresenting the results of the actual inspection process. This firstprincipal component value is then compared with the first principalcomponent value representing the normal state, and if the difference iswithin a predetermined range, the processing apparatus can be judged tobe free of abnormality. It is to be noted that the same number ofprincipal components as the number of inspection items can be obtained,e.g., n principal components can be ascertained if there are ninspection items and, generally speaking, the first principal componenthas the highest degree of reliability.

As explained above, the completion of the inspection process isautomatically determined in an integrated manner through themultivariate analysis in the processing apparatus automatic inspectionmethod in the embodiment, and thus, even inspection items such as thosethat need to be checked by employing the in-line inspection deviceprovided in the processing apparatus and cannot be checked automaticallywith ease in the related art, can be checked automatically. In addition,since the operating state of the processing apparatus is verified whenexecuting the inspection process, the inspection process can beautomatically executed with as much flexibility as that afforded in aninspection process manually performed by operating personnel.

Next, in reference to FIG. 9, the processing apparatus automaticresetting method achieved in the embodiment is explained. As explainedearlier, it is necessary to perform maintenance on the processingapparatus on a regular basis or whenever necessary. When the processingapparatus is reset to the normal operating mode after a specificmaintenance process is completed, the processing apparatus needs to beinspected on specific inspection items through specific procedures. Inthe related art, the operating personnel must perform variousinspections in sequence to check the individual inspection items one ata time when resetting the processing apparatus following the maintenanceprocess. However, by adopting the processing apparatus automaticresetting method achieved in the embodiment, the resetting process,including the integrated decision-making as to whether or not themaintenance has been completed that is performed by the operatingpersonnel in the related art, for resetting the processing apparatusfrom the maintenance mode to the normal operating mode, during whichin-line inspections such as a particle inspection and a film thicknessmeasurement may be conducted, can be automated.

In order to execute an automatic reset through the method of resettingprocessing apparatus achieved in the embodiment, it is necessary topre-register the contents and the sequence of the processing to beexecuted when the processing apparatus is reset from the maintenancemode to the normal operating mode (S402). The inspection items may beregistered by writing an inspection macro in advance and assigningvarious parameters in the macro as in the processing apparatus automaticinspection method explained earlier.

While any inspection items can be set freely for the registration, as inthe processing apparatus automatic inspection method explained earlier,the items that may be registered include the following; a virtualvolumetric capacity measurement of the process module (processingchamber), a pressure gauge zero inspection, a pressure gauge zerocalibration, a pressure gauge sensitivity/linearity inspection, aflowmeter zero point inspection, a flowmeter zero point calibration, aflowmeter sensitivity/stability inspection, a flowmeter flow verifytest, a flowmeter self-diagnosis, a back cooling gas pressure gauge zerocalibration, a process module evacuation inspection, a load lock moduleevacuation inspection, a process module leak inspection, a load lockmodule leak inspection, a discharge inspection, a high-frequency powersupply system inspection, a plasma light emission inspection, a particleinspection, a film thickness inspection, a dummy transfer inspection anda test wafer processing inspection.

Among these inspection items, the particle inspection, the filmthickness inspection, the dummy transfer inspection, the test waferprocessing inspection and the like need to be conducted by actuallyoperating the processing apparatus to process a dummy wafer or a testwafer and then inspecting the processed dummy wafer or test wafer withthe in-line inspection device or the like. In addition, the parametersfor the abnormality decision-making criteria with regard to theindividual inspection items may be entered as well. Furthermore, a fewstatistical parameters indicating the processing apparatus status may beascertained by performing a multivariate analysis of the measurementvalues corresponding to all the inspection items or a plurality ofinspection items obtained over time, and based upon these statisticalparameters, an integrated processing apparatus abnormalitydecision-making criterion or an integrated post-maintenance resettingcompletion decision-making criterion may be set. By automating theseoverall decision-making processes performed by the operating personnelin the related art, the regular inspection process and thepost-maintenance resetting process can be automated as well.

With the inspection items pre-registered as described above, theprocessing apparatus undergoes scheduled maintenance or spot maintenance(S404). After the maintenance process is duly completed, the processingapparatus is reset from the maintenance mode (S406) through theautomatic resetting method achieved in the embodiment. The resettingprocess is automatically executed (S408) in conformance to the contentsand the procedures of the inspections registered in advance in theregistration step (S402).

In the resetting step (S408), a decision is made as to whether or not anabnormality has occurred with regard to each inspection item inconformance to the corresponding abnormality decision making criterion(S410). During the abnormality decision-making step (S410), if noabnormality is detected through the decision made based upon theabnormality decision-making criterion set for a given inspection item,other inspection items are checked in sequence in a similar manner.Ultimately, integrated inspection results are obtained based upon theprocessing apparatus abnormality decision-making criteria for a fewstatistical parameters ascertained through a multivariate analysis ofthe measurement values corresponding to all the inspection items or aplurality of inspection items obtained over time, and if the integratedinspection results indicate that the processing apparatus does notmanifest any abnormality, it is decided that the inspections have beencompleted and the operation shifts to the normal operating mode (S412)after ending the resetting processing. If, on the other hand, anabnormality is detected during the abnormality decision-making step(S410), the operating personnel or the like is notified of the detailsof the detected abnormality and the resetting process is interrupted ifnecessary (S414) to await and instruction from the operating personnel.However, the resetting process may continue uninterrupted as long as thedetected abnormality is not serious.

As explained above, the completion of the resetting process isautomatically judged in an integrated manner through the multivariateanalysis in the processing apparatus automatic resetting method in theembodiment, and thus, even post-maintenance resetting items such asthose that need to be checked by employing the in-line inspection deviceprovided in the processing apparatus and cannot be checked automaticallywith ease in the related art, can be checked automatically.

By adopting the processing apparatus automatic inspection method and theprocessing apparatus automatic resetting method achieved in theembodiment, integrated decisions can be automatically made with respectto the completions of the inspection process and the resetting processthrough multivariate analysis. As a result, the regular inspectionprocess and the resetting process for restoring the processing apparatusfrom the maintenance mode to the normal operating mode, which maynecessitate the use of an in-line inspection device provided in theprocessing apparatus and cannot be automated with ease in the relatedart, can be executed automatically. In addition, the reliability ofthese processes improves and, at the same time, the onus on theoperating personnel is greatly reduced.

(Third Embodiment)

Next, in reference to FIGS. 10 and 11, the overall configuration of aprocessing apparatus 100 achieved in the third embodiment is explained.FIGS. 10 and 11 are respectively a schematic plan view and a schematicside elevation of a multi-chamber type processing apparatus. In theprocessing apparatus 100, first and second load lock chambers 106 and108 and first˜fourth vacuum processing chambers 110, 112, 114 and 116where various types of processing are implemented on semiconductorwafers W are provided via first˜sixth gate valves G1˜G6 around a vacuumtransfer chamber 104 having a transfer are 102 which transfersworkpieces such as the semiconductor wafers w.

The first and second load lock chambers 106 and 108 are used toload/unload the semiconductor wafers W between the vacuum transferchamber 104 and a wafer carrier (not shown) inside which the pressure iskept at the atmospheric pressure level while the pressure of theatmosphere inside the vacuum transfer chamber 104 is sustained at alowered level. Pressure regulating mechanism 118 each constituted of avacuum pump and a gas supply system, which are provided at the bottomsof the first and second load lock chambers 106 and 108 set the pressureswithin the first and second load lock chambers 106 and 108 at adesirable level. In addition the atmosphere side openings of the firstand second load lock chambers 106 and 108 are sealed by seventh andeighth gate valves G7 and G8 respectively so as to be opened/closedfreely. The first˜eighth gate valves G1˜G8 are opened/closed by movingthe valve elements constituting the individual gate valves up and downwith driving mechanisms (not shown). It is to be noted that FIG. 11illustrates the processing apparatus 100 in a state in which thefirst˜fourth vacuum processing chambers 110, 112, 114 and 116 aredisengaged.

FIG. 12 presents a flowchart in reference to which the method ofself-diagnosing the software used to drive the processing apparatusachieved in the embodiment of the present invention is explained. As theprocessing apparatus drive starts, the operating state of the softwareused to drive the processing apparatus is monitored in real time todiagnose whether or not any abnormality has occurred (S110). The itemsto be checked through the diagnosis include the memory state, the CPUload state, the queue state, the number of open files, the networkcommunication load, the stack state and the resource state.

The diagnosis may be performed by, for instance, setting in advance achange rate, a change pattern, a threshold value and the like for eachof these items and comparing the actual change rate, change pattern,value and the like achieved during the operation with these settings. Bycomparing the preset values and the actual values, it is possible todetect that the processing apparatus is approaching a control disabledstate, that a control disabled state is imminent or the like. The changerate, the change pattern, the threshold value and the like areparameters that can be changed freely.

If it is decided through the diagnosis performed in S110 that noabnormality has occurred, the processing on the workpiece iscontinuously executed, and a decision as to whether or not the workpieceprocessing has been completed is made (S130). If the processing has beencompleted, the processing apparatus is stopped (S140). If, on the otherhand, it is decided through the diagnosis in S110 that an abnormalityhas occurred, a log of the diagnosis item with regard to which theabnormality has occurred is recorded (S120). Then, the processingapparatus is stopped (S140).

For instance, if the stack usage is diagnosed to have reached a pointclose to the limit, it is decided that an abnormality has occurred.Under these circumstances, continuous application of the high-frequencypower for plasma generation may lead to a failure of the processingapparatus as well as damage to the product. Accordingly, if such a stateis detected, relevant information is communicated through a physicalsignal line connecting the CPUs, an interrupt signal and the like, toexecute a stop operation, i.e., an operation for turning off thehigh-frequency power, during the interrupt processing.

It is also decided that an abnormality has occurred if the network loadis diagnosed to be nearing the limit range. In this case, if asufficient length of time is left to effect a normal processing stop forthe product currently undergoing the processing or if the use of theinternal means for communication is enabled, relevant information iscommunicated through internal communication and an internal interrupt toexecute a stop operation, i.e., an operation for stopping the process,during the interrupt processing.

As another example, if the change rate of the CPU load is diagnosed tohave manifested a sudden increase, too, it is decided that anabnormality has occurred. In this case, if a sufficient length of timeis left to disallow in advance the processing of products yet to beprocessed, relevant information is communicated through internalcommunication to execute a stop operation such as disallowing theloading of the next wafer or disallowing loading of the next lot, byhaving the receiver-side task (the processing routine) interpret theinformation.

As described above, the operating state of the software used to drivethe processing apparatus is monitored in real-time and the processingapparatus is stopped after recording a log if an abnormality hasoccurred in the embodiment. Thus, it becomes possible to prevent anabnormality in the operating state of the software from causing anabnormality in the processing apparatus. As a result, the wafer productsare not damaged either. In addition, by recording the log, the state inwhich the abnormality has occurred can be ascertained and, ultimately,the cause of the abnormality can be pinpointed.

As described in detail above, by adopting the embodiment, the occurrenceof an abnormality in the processing apparatus can be prevented so as toavert any damage to workpieces, i.e., the eventual products. Thus, animprovement in the yield of workpieces undergoing the processing isachieved and, at the same time, the throughput can be maintained at aspecific level.

While the invention has been particularly shown and described withrespect to preferred embodiments thereof by referring to the attacheddrawings, the present invention is not limited to these examples and itwill be understood by those skilled in the art that various changes inform and detail may be made therein without departing from the spirit,scope and teaching of the invention.

Industrial Applicability

The present invention may be adopted in a method of self-diagnosingsoftware used during a process of manufacturing semiconductor devicesand, more specifically, it may be adopted in a method of self-diagnosingsoftware used to drive a processing apparatus that implements processingsuch as etching and film forming on workpieces that may be semiconductorwafers or liquid crystal display substrates.

1-16. (canceled)
 17. A method of self-diagnosing software used to drivea processing apparatus, comprising: a monitoring step in whichpredetermined diagnostic items are checked to monitor in real time theoperating state of the software used to drive said processing apparatus;a maintenance step for maintaining the processing apparatus; and a downprocessing step in which, if an abnormality is detected in the softwareduring the monitoring steps said processing apparatus is stopped afterrecording a log of the diagnostic item with regard to which theabnormality has occurred.
 18. A method of self-diagnosing software usedto drive a processing apparatus, according to claim 17, wherein: saiddiagnostic items include at least one of: the memory state, the CPU loadstate, the queue state, the number of open files, the networkcommunication load, the stack state and the resource state.
 19. Themethod of claim 17, wherein the maintenance step for maintaining aprocessing apparatus comprises: a registration step in which unitoperations corresponding to each part of said processing apparatusundergoing maintenance are registered in advance; a macro writing stepin which a maintenance macro is configured for executing said unitoperations as at least one of individual operations and a combination ofunit operations, the combination of unit operations being executedthrough at least one of a sequence operation and a parallel operation;and a macro execution step in which maintenance is performed byexecuting said maintenance macro.
 20. A method of maintaining aprocessing apparatus according to claim 19, further comprising: anevaluation step in which the sequence operation and/or the paralleloperation executed in said macro execution step is evaluated.
 21. Amethod of maintaining a processing apparatus according to claim 19,wherein: said unit operations include an inspection operation throughwhich said part undergoing maintenance is inspected.
 22. A method ofmaintaining a processing apparatus according to claim 19, wherein: saidunit operations include an initialization operation through which saidpart undergoing maintenance is initialized.
 23. A method of maintaininga processing apparatus according to claim 19, wherein: said macrowriting step includes a target monitoring operation macro writing step,in which a target monitoring operation macro is configured formonitoring whether or not a control value has been achieved in a unitoperation of said part undergoing the maintenance.
 24. A method ofmaintaining a processing apparatus according to claim 19, wherein: saidmacro writing step includes a loop macro writing step in which a loopmacro is configured for repeating a unit operation of said partundergoing maintenance.
 25. The method of claim 17, further comprising amethod of automatically inspecting a processing apparatus that processesa workpiece, comprising: a registration step in which at leastinspection items to be checked in an inspection process and a time pointfor the inspection process are registered in advance; a verificationstep in which the operating state of said processing apparatus isverified when the registered inspection time point arrives; aninspection step in which the inspection process to check the registeredinspection items is automatically and immediately executed if saidprocessing apparatus is determined not to be engaged in operation orafter the operation in said verification step of said processingapparatus ends if said processing apparatus is determined to be engagedin operation in said verification step; and a decision-making step inwhich a decision is made as to whether or not the inspection process hasbeen completed.
 26. A method of automatically inspecting a processingapparatus according to claim 25, wherein: said processing apparatus isprovided with an inline inspection device and the inspection itemsinclude an inspection item to be checked by utilizing said inlineinspection device.
 27. A method of automatically inspecting a processingapparatus according to claim 25, wherein: said inspection processincludes an abnormality detection response step, in which, upondetecting an abnormality, the maintenance personnel are notified ofdetails of the abnormality and the inspection process is interrupted.28. A method of automatically inspecting a processing apparatusaccording to claim 25, wherein: the inspection items include at leastone of: a target vacuum inspection, a leak inspection, a flow rateinspection, a discharge inspection, a high-frequency power supply systeminspection, a plasma light emission inspection, a particle inspection,an etching characteristics inspection, a test transfer and a test waferprocessing inspection.
 29. A method of automatically inspecting aprocessing apparatus according to claim 25, wherein the inspection stepcomprises at least one of: detecting an abnormality during theinspection process; and deciding whether or not the inspection processhas been completed through a multivariate analysis.
 30. A method ofself-diagnosing software used to drive a processing apparatus,comprising: a monitoring step in which predetermined diagnostic itemsare checked to monitor in real time the operating state of the softwareused to drive said processing apparatus; a maintenance step formaintaining the processing apparatus; an automatic resetting step inwhich the registered inspection items are automatically checked inconformance to the registered inspection procedures when resetting saidprocessing apparatus from the maintenance step; and a down processingstep in which, if an abnormality is detected in the software during themonitoring step, said processing apparatus is stopped after recording alog of the diagnostic item with regard to which the abnormality hasoccurred.
 31. A method of automatically resetting a processing apparatusaccording to claim 30, wherein: said processing apparatus is providedwith an inline inspection device and the inspection items include aninspection item to be checked by utilizing said inline inspectiondevice.
 32. A method of automatically resetting a processing apparatusaccording to claim 30, wherein: said automatic resetting step includesan abnormality detection response step in which, upon detecting anabnormality, the maintenance personnel is notified of details of theabnormality and the inspection process is interrupted.
 33. A method ofautomatically resetting a processing apparatus according to claim 30,wherein: the inspection items include at least one of: a target vacuuminspection, a leak inspection, a flow rate inspection, a dischargeinspection, a high-frequency power supply system inspection, a plasmalight emission inspection, a particle inspection, an etchingcharacteristics inspection, a test transfer and a test wafer processinginspection.
 34. A method of automatically resetting a processingapparatus according to claim 30, wherein: an abnormality is detectedduring the inspection process and/or a decision is made as to whether ornot the inspection process has been completed through a multivariateanalysis.